The Charlotte 49ers earned the school's first championship in cross country since 1994, when the women's team won the Metro Conference. |
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Men's Cross Country Claims First Conference USA Title
Nov. 2, 2002
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Charlotte 49ers men's cross country team earned their first ever Conference USA title Saturday, beating out 11 other teams at the C-USA Championships at Southern Miss. Cross country coach Brad Herbster, who is in his first year with the program, was named the men's Coach of the Year.
Charlotte had three of the top six finishers overall and four in the top 15. The team finished with 53 points, nearly 20 better than runner-up Marquette's 71 points. By finishing in the top 15, Vince Sherry, Ed Schlichter, Josh Baker and Jared Kessen earned all-conference honors.
"Our guys have talked a lot this year about getting the monkey off their back," Herbster said. "We've come close in the history of the program, but always came up short. This year, our guys stepped up. We have four seniors, so it was really important to them to do this. I've been here nine months and this is an exciting thing to be a part of."
"What Brad has done is extremely impressive," head coach Robert Olesen said. "To come in and win the conference title in his first year is terrific. I've been impressed with the way he has come in here, gotten everything organized and put together results. All year, the men and women have quietly gone about their work without a lot of flash. Now, when it really counts, they've stepped it up and gotten the results."
Sherry was the first to complete the 8K course for the 49ers, finishing third with a time of 24:56.29. He joins Celena Illuzzi from the women's side as the program's only four-time all-conference selections. Schlichter was the second runner to cross the line for the Niners. He placed fifth overall with a time of 25:05.36. Josh Baker finished sixth, earning all-league notice for the second time, with a time of 25:11.10. Jared Kessen also earned All-C-USA honors with an 11th-place time of 25:23.51. Mike Ryan rounded out the team's score to secure the title. He was 28th with a time of 26:10.88. Luke Pitman and Jamil Muhaimin also ran, finishing in the upper half of the field in 41st and 46th place.
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Charlotte also made strides in the women's race, where the 49ers were sixth with 170 points. Last season, the team finished 11th. Marquette staked its claim to the women's title with 29 points. Like her male counterparts, Cassie Ficken finished in the top 15 to earn All-Conference USA notice.
It is the first all-conference award for Ficken, who finished 12th with a time of 22:05.74. Jen Taylor was the next to complete the 6K course. She was 22nd with a 22:55.24 time. The third finisher for the Niners was Laura Syracuse, whose time of 23:16.53 was good for 31st. Andria Craig posted a time of 23:59.86 to finish 51st overall. Klara Jarolimova closed out the team's scoring effort. She was 57th with a time of 24:07.26. Marenika Wisdom and Sarah Carter also competed, placing 71st and 82nd, respectively.
"The women were also impressive today," Herbster said. "Last year, they finished 11th or 12th and this year they were sixth. We really only lose one senior from this year's group and the people we bring back are capable of big things."
The men's title is the school's first championship in cross country since 1994, when the women's team won the Metro Conference title. It is also the school's second Conference USA crown of the season as the women's soccer team recently claimed the regular-season title.
The 49ers return to action Nov. 16, when they compete at the NCAA Southeast Regionals, hosted by Furman.
Men's Coach of the Year - Brad Herbster, Charlotte
Male Athlete of the Year - Mike Andrew, South Florida
Male Freshman of the Year - Brent Des Roches, Marquette
All-Conference (for Charlotte) - Vince Sherry, Ed Schlichter, Josh Baker, Jared Kessen
Women's Coach of the Year - David Uhrich, Marquette
Female Athlete of the Year - Erin Moffett, DePaul
Female Freshman of the Year - Alayne Thompson, TCU
All-Conference (for Charlotte) - Cassie Ficken
